Department of
Environmental Quality

DEQ’s Source Water Protection Grants provide funding for projects to protect sources of public drinking water. Eligible activities include those that lead to the reduction in risk of contamination of a drinking water source. Projects must contribute to improved protection of one or more public water supply sources.

Eligible applicants include public water systems, state and local government agencies, special districts (such as soil conservation districts), associations, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions in Idaho. Federal agencies are not eligible.

Eligible Expenditures

Funds are available for both local and regional protection projects. Eligible projects include:

• Contaminant source identification (research)
• Contaminant pathway removal (closure of abandoned or unused wells)
• Contaminant removal (hazardous waste collection, pollution prevention, and waste reduction)
• Contaminant management (implementation of best management practices (BMPs), ordinance development and implementation of a source water protection plan, structures to divert contaminated runoff from the source)
• Education and information sharing (brochures, workshops, media campaigns)

Ineligible Expenditures

Projects specific to the treatment, transmission, distribution, consolidation or storage of the drinking water system are not eligible for funding.

SWP Grants cannot be used to fund personnel or purchase equipment associated with system operation and maintenance, water treatment, purchase of land, or system infrastructure upgrades or improvements such as flow meters or level indicators.

SWP grants cannot be used for environmental assessment costs associated with purchasing the land. Environmental Assessments and potential cleanup costs may be eligible for assistance through DEQ's Brownfields Assessment Program. (Note: Although the SWP grant cannot be used to purchase land, it can be used to fund a land survey to identify the property boundaries of the land to be acquired for protection.)

SWP grants cannot be used to fund the purchase of water rights.

Funding Cycle

Source water protection grants are awarded annually. The application cycle begins in January and closes in the spring of each year, with grants awarded in late-May.